Searching for ways to have a great day in the district? Then get excited for ‘Great Day Washington’, starring Markette Sheppard and co hosts Chris Leary and Meaghan Mooney. The day show is a live, lifestyle focused daily talk show. But who is the woman behind Great Day Washington?
California native Markette Sheppard’s moved to Washington DC two weeks after finishing college for her first job opportunity in web producing. Many recent graduates get comfortable having a stable job in corporate America, but Sheppard did not want to stop at too comfortable. She decided to follow her dream. It came down to doing it now or never. Sheppard felt if she didn’t follow her dream during her late 20’s, it may never happen or she would get too comfortable playing it safe.
So what did Sheppard do? She made use of her interactive journalism degree from American University and created reels on lifestyle topics. These lifestyle reels led her to a job opportunity at Prince George Community TV, which covers real news every day. From there Sheppard uploaded reels on her Youtube channel and she entered a nationwide search contest to find the next co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly in 2012 where she made it to the final four. That opportunity opened doors for Sheppard and she got a lifestyle feature on NBC’s Today Show as well as national and local credits via VH1, AMC Movie News and Fox Richmond. Once again, TV producers were watching on Youtube, but this time WUSA9 reached out to her about being a talk show host for Great Day Washington. It’s a dream job and perfect for Sheppard who is now a mother because she has a supportive team who understands the challenges working parents face and overall accepts that life happens, creating a good work and life balance for the talk show host, mom, husband and entrepreneur. In fact, Sheppard says becoming the host of Great Day Washington is a huge blessing as she can discuss sustainable lifestyle and entertainment topics while being attentive to her husband and son.
During our interview with Sheppard,we got to learn more about her passions, public speaking and what we can expect from Great Day Washington. Here is the scoop:
Briana Booker: Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to take this career path in journalism and public speaking?
Markette Sheppard: I’ve always enjoyed meeting different people, performing, public speaking and covering real stories from real people. Telling the truth, the real story is what I love about my job.
BB: What are the types of people who succeed in your field?
MS:Fearless people. In this industry you really don’t know where you’ll end up. Many career paths have a charted course. In journalism, you cannot chart your course. You don’t know if you’ll become an anchor or a talk show host in my case because at the end of the day none of us know the future. It reminds me of this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :
“ Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
In life, we can try to predict our path, but there’s no guarantee where we will end up. A job might lay you off. You may leave an organization because you realize you want to pursue other career paths. It comes down to playing it safe your entire life or go big. I chose to go big.
BB: What inspired you to go big?
MS: Why not me? When I heard about the search for Regis’ replacement there was no doubt I couldn’t do it. I did the audition video right in my living room with the idea it’s gonna happen. I go through the first round, semi-finals and made it to the final four. I am a firm believer committing to something will take you places. I went from Youtube to radio and now TV. Getting the experience means everything when pursuing a dream.
BB: What topics will you cover? Will it include a food segment?
MS: Great Day Washington is a hyper local ( MD, DC, and VA) day time talk show, covering lifestyle and entertainment. You can expect big stars such as a certain late night host , OWN TV reality TV star. and local celebrities We have a great line up and yes, we will cover food in our live kitchen set with a global top chef as well as visits to some of the best restaurants in the area.
BB: What are five things you can’t live without?
A sweater, Mexican food, my baby boy Wesley, husband and good people.
MS: What is your motto or advice you cannot live without?
BB: If you want to live out a dream, start on the little things now. You don’t have to wait to do what you want in life. It took me five or six years to live out my dream and it all started with a video camera and a can do attitude. Start now.
We love how passionate and genuine Markette Sheppard is on and off the air. We look forward to watching Great Day Washington, 5 days a week at 9:00AM. Let us know your thoughts about the talk show and stay connected with Markette on Twitter ( @super_markette) and check out her entrepreneurial ventures ( we love Markette Sheppard’s natural and organic cosmetics from MessengerBeauty.com) at MarketteSheppard.com. Let us know your thoughts on the new talk show all about the great things Washington DC has to offer as well as Sheppard’s beauty products.
